NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday criticised the Uniongovernment for remaining silent on the killing of Iran’s SupremeLeader Ali Khamenei, asking why New Delhi had not issued a formalstatement or observed parliamentary protocol following the death ofthe Iranian leader.
In a post on the social media platform X, Ramesh said the Indiangovernment had not publicly reacted to Khamenei’s killing on February28 during a joint United States–Israel strike on Iranian targets.
“Ayatollah Khamenei, the constitutional head of state in Iran, wasassassinated on Feb 28, 2026 by the US and Israel. The PM is silent.The EAM is silent. Parliament is yet to have an obituary reference,”he wrote.
Khamenei, who had served as Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989 and wasthe country’s highest political and religious authority, was killed incoordinated airstrikes carried out by the United States and Israelduring escalating hostilities in the region. Iranian state mediaconfirmed his death soon after the attack, which targeted seniorIranian leadership in Tehran amid a wider conflict involving Iran,Israel and their allies.
Ramesh also pointed to what he described as inconsistency in thegovernment’s response compared with its reaction to the death offormer Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crashin May 2024. “In May 2024, the President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi waskilled in a mysterious helicopter crash. The Modi Government orderedone day mourning on May 21, 2024 and Parliament had an obituaryreference on July 1, 2024 when it convened,” he said.
India had then declared a day of state mourning as a mark of respectfor Raisi, reflecting longstanding diplomatic ties between India andIran.
In his remarks, Ramesh also linked the issue to India’s current rolein the BRICS grouping. He noted that Iran is now part of the expandedBRICS+ framework and that India holds the presidency of the forum thisyear. “India has rightly condemned Iran’s attacks on Gulf states butis completely quiet on the US-Israeli assault on Iran in the firstplace. It should be remembered that Iran is a part of the BRICS+ forumwhich India holds the Presidency for this year,” he said.
Taking a direct swipe at the government, Ramesh further alleged thatPrime Minister Narendra Modi was reluctant to comment on thedevelopments due to India’s relations with Washington and Tel Aviv.
“Why the hesitancy now? A compromised PM no doubt wants to avoidantagonizing his American and Israeli ‘friend,’” he wrote.
The Ministry of External Affairs has not yet issued a detailedstatement specifically addressing Khamenei’s killing, though India haspreviously expressed concern over rising tensions in West Asia andcalled for restraint from all sides. However, Foreign Secretary VikramMisri had on March 5 signed the condolence book at the Embassy of Iranin Delhi on behalf of the Government of India offering condolences onKhamenei’s death.
Agencies